Chapter 1

Living Large: Adopting a Skateboarder’s Mindset and Lifestyle

IN THIS CHAPTER

Getting up to speed on the benefits of skateboarding

Preparing to become a member of diverse community

Understanding the less conventional parts of skateboarding culture

Picking up some skateboard-ese

Skateboarding is more than a mode of transportation, a recreational activity, a competitive sport, and a multibillion-dollar global market. It’s a mindset and a way of life. I believe it’s the best life. It’s fun, healthy (mentally and physically), and affordable. It can even be profitable, if that’s one of the things you’re looking to get out of it. It stimulates the mind, nurtures creativity, and can be a catalyst to bring people together and build community. It kept me out of trouble when I was growing up, provided me with a constructive emotional outlet, and set me on a path to a rewarding and fulfilling career.

As you enter the world of skateboarding, I encourage you to explore and experience everything it has to offer. As you progress, I hope you start to adopt a skateboarder’s mindset and lifestyle. In this chapter, I bring you up to speed on the benefits of skateboarding and increase your awareness and understanding of the culture and spirit of skateboarding.

Recognizing the Positive Impact Skateboarding Can Have on Your Life

Skateboarding can be physically, mentally, and emotionally transformational. I know because of the positive impact it has had on my life. The experiences I’ve had, what I’ve gained, and what I’ve learned to let go of to move forward have all contributed to providing me with a much richer and more fulfilling life than I believe I would’ve had without it.

Skateboarding got me out of a small gang and activities that would probably have led me down a different (likely self-destructive) path. Skateboarding boosted my self-esteem. The more I practiced and accomplished on my board, the more confident I became in many areas of my life. With each goal I met, milestone I reached, person I met, and new experience I had, I became more of the person I was becoming and grew more comfortable with myself.

In the following sections, I explore the aspects of skateboarding that I think have had the greatest impact on my life and may also have an impact on yours. I owe a lot to the industry and the supportive community of skaters for giving me an opportunity to make a living out of skateboarding. Without these brands; communities; committees; skate shops; and many dedicated, generous individuals, I wouldn’t be where I am today.

Reaping the physical and psychological benefits of skateboarding

Everyone knows that physical activity benefits both body and mind, regardless of age. Of course, skateboarding can be risky, but inactivity is certain to result in muscle loss and cognitive decline. Many people find that skateboarding is so much fun that they don’t even realize the many ways skateboarding is improving their health and well-being, such as the following:

• Builds strength, balance, and awareness of your surroundings: All these factors can reduce your risk of falls and injuries and help you maintain independence as you age. (Of course, being on a skateboard exposes you to a greater risk of falling than when you’re just walking across a room or sitting in a chair, but how much fun is that?)
• May increase energy and reduce fatigue: At least that’s the effect it has on me.
• Improves sleep: This point is especially true if you’re riding enough to wear yourself out.
• Reduces stress and anxiety: It also improves your mood, especially when you reach a milestone or just have a good skate day.
• Helps you maintain a healthy weight and reduce the risk of excessive weight gain.
• Improves or preserves cognitive function: Skateboarding forces your mind to shift quickly and often between performing a task and making split-second decisions.
• Provides a constructive outlet for socializing: Many studies show the benefits of maintaining an active social life. When you’re skateboarding with others, you’re all motivating and inspiring one another and sharing smiles, laughs, frustrations, and accomplishments, which brings everyone closer every session.
• Builds self-esteem, especially if you take time to celebrate your accomplishments: Skateboarding empowers you to feel more confident and in control of your own destiny. Achievement awards, trophies, sponsorships, viral videos and social media posts, and praise from your peers and the entire world of skateboarding all nurture self-respect.
• Enriches your life with new friends, new experiences, and the life lessons you learn on and off the board.
• Gives you membership in a community (a skate army) and culture: You speak a language that only skateboarders understand and clown around while communicating intuitively through tricks, movements, and eye contact.

• Cultivates persistence and patience: Building balance and skills is a process of learning by trial and error. Repeating this process over and over again with every trick you learn and every obstacle you land builds persistence and patience.

  Pace yourself to perfection. Although wanting to progress quickly is normal, especially when you’re young, remember that everyone progresses at a different pace. Letting it happen naturally is best. Whenever you’re trying to do something new on your board, let your mind and body develop organically together to figure out the methods and movements to make it happen.

Appreciating the universal appeal of skateboarding

Since its birth, skateboarding’s popularity has waxed and waned. As I write this, it seems to be trending up, especially among teenagers but also among older and younger generations. I don’t fully understand why skateboarding appeals to such a broad demographic, but I think it has something to do with the fact that you don’t have to be an athlete to get started and that there’s always room for improvement. Even the best can get better.

Changing popular perception

Skateboarding wasn’t always popular, or even acceptable. Many considered it antisocial. As they saw it, skateboarders were swerving and disturbing the peace on streets and sidewalks with little regard for people’s space. Skateboarders scared some pedestrians and made the jobs of police and security guards, who were pressured to...